Building better connections through PLAY.

Ahh, internships. The perfect way to provide real-world experience to novices while also bringing fresh talent and new perspectives to your company.

If your organization has decided to hire an intern (or bring in a full intern class!), it’s important to take the steps necessary to make their experience a great one. In the long run, this will benefit not just the individuals, but your company, as well.

As you read this, you may be nearing the end of this year’s summer intern program, or you may be gearing up to start a new program in the fall. In the spirit of acknowledging National Intern Day, below are tips for before, during, and after your program to make sure your interns feel recognized and engaged throughout their experience. 

Topics: Training, Ideas, Company Culture, Networking, virtual meetings, 52 connections, interns, internship programs

The perfect opportunity to engage your employees and improve company culture is when it gets warm outside. Why? Because it gives you the opportunity to relive the nostalgia of your school days, when you had one day dedicated to fun and good-natured competition.

It's time to have a field day!

Topics: Team Building, Ideas, Company Culture, Sports, company events, Games, Activities, nostalgia, field day

Sports, at the end of the day, should be fun--even in the professional ranks. After all, they do play “games” every night, don’t they? The difference is their games often come within a high pressure environment where winning is the primary goal. There’s not one blueprint for how to win.

Topics: Office Culture, Play, Team, World Series, Team Building, Creativity, Play at Work, Reflections, Ideas, Employee Engagement, Work Culture, Culture, Company Culture, Goals, Sports, Baseball, Learnings

A venue sets the stage for what kind of party you’re going to have and the variables when choosing one can make anyone’s head spin. Before you decide on the place, it’s helpful to know roughly how many people will be attending, what activities will be planned, and, of course, what budget you have to work with. Even with this information, though, wading through the options and finding a venue that checks every box on your criteria can be quite the challenge.

Topics: Play, Event Planning, Corporate Event Planning, Holiday, Holiday Party, Ideas, Tips, company events, Games, Fun, Venues

You’ve nailed down the date for your next company party. You’ve arranged the time and place, and you know who will be showing up. Those are the first steps but now you must answer the most important question that will determine whether your party is successful—how will you entertain your guests? Specifically, what will engage your employees beyond drinking and conversation to make your event memorable?

Topics: CSR, Corporate Event Planning, Holiday Party, Ideas, Tips, company events, Fun, Play Personalities, Activities

We often hear from our clients that the most difficult part of planning a company event is the work that goes into getting people excited for it. We get it and we’re here to help. Here are five ways to build up anticipation and have employees ready to fully enjoy the festivities once the day arrives.

Topics: Office Culture, Play, Event Planning, Corporate Event Planning, Ideas, Employee Engagement, Culture, Employee Experience, Company, Company Culture, Tips, company events, Employee Appreciation, Fun

When all 25 New York City-based team members of the ZogLife office worked remotely for nearly two months while their workspace underwent a refresh, the team used it as an opportunity to experiment.

Topics: Office Culture, Play, Team, Team Building, Productivity, Ideas, Employee Engagement, Connection, Employee Experience, Company Culture, Leadership, Goals, Tips, Fun, Working Remotely

The experts have spoken: Play is more than just fun and games. But as HR professionals and people leaders, how can we be strategic in using play to engage your coworkers? How can we design experiences that make employees excited to raise their hand and jump in the game?

Topics: Office Culture, Play, Team Building, Event Planning, Play at Work, Corporate Event Planning, Company Retreats, Ideas, Employee Engagement, Fun at Work, Connection, Culture, Employee Experience, Company Culture, Tips, Human Resources, diversity and inclusion, company events, Employee Appreciation, Fun, Play Personalities, Stuart Brown

After Netflix and Hulu dropped dueling documentaries, the world is on Fyre. At every office, coffee shop, and happy hour, people can’t stop talking about Fyre Festival. And for good reason—what a complete and unmitigated disaster.

Topics: Business Strategy, Event Planning, Training, Reflections, Ideas, Culture, Lifestyle, Community, Company

Your idea might be half baked, but it also might be fully genius. So you ask the bartender for a pen, scribble it down on a bar napkin, and continue laughing with friends over a cocktail. You never really know when the muse will visit, which is why the “back of the napkin idea” has become a universal adage.

Topics: Office Culture, Play, Creativity, Innovation, Ideas